The unique performance of polyimide compositions under stress and at high temperatures have made them useful in applications requiring high thermal oxidative stability. Some examples of such applications are aircraft engine parts, aircraft wear pads, automatic transmission bushings and seal rings, tenter frame pads and bushings, material processing equipment parts, and pump bushings and seals.
Despite the variety of polyimide compositions, and additives for those compositions such as graphite, that have previously been available, a need still remains for polyimide compositions that exhibit as molded parts the desirably high degree of thermal oxidative stability currently required for applications such aircraft engine parts, while maintaining the other advantageous attributes of the polyimide material.